Get Your Ontario Careless Driving Charge Dismissed

If charged with careless driving, you will definitely want to be represented by TRAFFIC STOP®, as this is arguably the most serious charge under the Highway Traffic Act of Ontario.

Consequences of a Careless Driving Charge

If convicted, a careless driving charge earns you 6 demerit points against your driver’s licence, and your insurance premium will skyrocket! Some insurance companies will drop you as you will be viewed as too “high risk” to continue to insure. You may also only be able to get facility rated insurance rates, which are even higher.

Greg Eschweiler, the President of TRAFFIC STOP®, is an ex-OPP traffic officer who spent his entire career specializing in traffic investigations. Who better to represent you in traffic court? He will defend you with his years of knowledge in investigating thousands of collisions on Ontario’s highways. He is licensed by the Law Society of Upper Canada to represent you in Ontario’s courts.

Understanding the Careless Driving Charge

A careless driving charge is best described as a “blanket charge”—meaning that most officers are instructed by their superiors to lay this charge in ANY accident situation. This blanket charge means it covers all other Highway Traffic Act charges that could/should have been laid instead of careless driving. Since careless driving is the most serious charge, it leaves an option to be pled out to a number of minor charges underneath. Do not make the mistake of thinking you can handle this yourself and get the best possible results.

How TRAFFIC STOP® Makes a Difference in Your Charge

There are many factors in every careless driving charge, and TRAFFIC STOP® will get the best possible result for you. Perhaps you feel that the prosecution's offer to reduce the charge to 2, 3 or 4 demerit points is a good one and you take it—that would be a costly mistake. Our firm could very likely have had this reduced to 0 demerit points or beat it totally, as there could have been shortcomings in the case against you that you would not have known about. This is where all of our many years of experience come in to play.

If you’re in stop-and-go traffic and rear end someone, is that careless driving? Losing control and driving off the road into the ditch—is that careless driving? To the officer who handed it to you, it is. Can TRAFFIC STOP® help minimize or eliminate the charge? We sure can.

The Two Types of Careless Driving Charges

Part 1 Careless Driving Ticket

Maximum fine of $490 levied against you

6 demerit points against your driver's licence (if you have a G1 or G2, you will lose your driver's licence for 30 days)

The start of 3-5 years of massive insurance rate increases

6 demerit points will come off your record 2 years after the offence date

Conviction stays on your driver's abstract forever

Part 3 Careless Driving Summons

6 demerit points

Summons ordering you to attend court on a specific date

If you do not appear a warrant can be issued for your arrest

A fine from $400-$2,000

Jail for up to 6 months

Drivers licence suspension for up to 2 years

Conviction stays on your driver's abstract forever

What the Highway Traffic Act Says & How TRAFFIC STOP® Helps

Section 130 of the Highway Traffic Act reads, “Every person is guilty of the offence of driving carelessly who drives a vehicle, or street car on a highway without due care and attention or without reasonable consideration for other persons using the highway and on conviction is liable to a fine of not less than $400 and not more than $2,000 or to imprisonment for a term of not more than 6 months, or to both, and in addition his or her licence or permit may be suspended for a period of not more than 2 years.”